This paper proposes an innovative nanoimprinting method that features on imprinting a single droplet of resist and spreading it from center to edge to fully cover a full wafer substrate. Important advantages of this type of nanoimprinting include avoiding air bubble trapping, forming conformal mold/substrate contact, minimizing residual layer thickness, and saving the amount of resist being used. It also makes the demolding process much easier and more successful. To realize this nanoimprinting method, an imprinting tool is designed, constructed, and experimentally tested, and three key components are developed. First of all, a soft mold is integrated into a dovetailed metal ring so that it can be fixed at its edge and deformed by external force. Secondly, two independent loading mechanism are installed so that a soft mold can be initially deformed to form a point contact with a substrate and then followed by imprinting process. Finally, an elastomer cushion pad with a pre-designed convex surface profile is used to convert the loading force into a specific distributed contact pressure which can drive the resist flow. Nanoimprinting experiments have been carried out for pattering micro-scaled and nano-scales structures on 4" glass wafers. Excellent imprinting results are observed. The potentials and future perspectives of the proposed nanoimprint system will be addressed.

中文翻译：

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用于微/纳米制造的液滴扩散纳米压印方法

本文提出了一种创新的纳米压印方法，其特点是压印单个抗蚀剂液滴并将其从中心扩散到边缘以完全覆盖整个晶圆基板。这种类型的纳米压印的重要优点包括避免气泡捕获、形成共形模具/基板接触、最小化残留层厚度以及节省使用的抗蚀剂量。它还使脱模过程更加容易和成功。为了实现这种纳米压印方法，设计、构建和实验测试了一种压印工具，并开发了三个关键组件。首先，将软模具集成到燕尾形金属环中，使其边缘固定，并在外力作用下变形。第二，安装了两个独立的加载机构，使软模具可以最初变形以与基板形成点接触，然后进行压印过程。最后，具有预先设计的凸面轮廓的弹性体缓冲垫用于将加载力转换为特定的分布接触压力，该压力可以驱动抗蚀剂流动。已经进行了纳米压印实验，用于在 4" 玻璃晶片上形成微米级和纳米级结构。观察到优异的压印结果。将讨论所提出的纳米压印系统的潜力和未来前景。具有预先设计的凸面轮廓的弹性体缓冲垫用于将加载力转换为特定的分布接触压力，该压力可以驱动抗蚀剂流动。已经进行了纳米压印实验，用于在 4" 玻璃晶片上形成微米级和纳米级结构。观察到优异的压印结果。将讨论所提出的纳米压印系统的潜力和未来前景。具有预先设计的凸面轮廓的弹性体缓冲垫用于将加载力转换为特定的分布接触压力，该压力可以驱动抗蚀剂流动。已经进行了纳米压印实验，用于在 4" 玻璃晶片上形成微米级和纳米级结构。观察到优异的压印结果。将讨论所提出的纳米压印系统的潜力和未来前景。